Canada’s Arthritis Society Funds Cannabis Study for Fibromyalgia

Last week, the Arthritis Society of Canada made
a decision to fund a study on treating fibromyalgia with medical
marijuana. Dr. Mark Ware of McGill
University has already gained the reputation
of a leader in the field of pain research. In his new study, Dr. Ware
will investigate the impact of oral cannabinoids on fibromyalgia—an
illness that attacks more than 520,000 people in Canada, mainly
females.

This is the second time the Arthritis Society
has offered financial support to a medical marijuana study. Last
year, the Society awarded Dr.
Jason McDougall with a three-year grant to
study the treatment of arthritis with medical cannabis.

Unfortunately, conventional medicine does not provide
effective options for managing arthritis pain. Both fibromyalgia
patients and doctors need to know whether they can consider medical
marijuana for treating the symptoms of arthritis. With these grants,
the Arthritis Society wants to fill the gaps in medical marijuana
research, but their efforts are not enough to gain the crucial
knowledge. Thus, the Society is calling on the federal government to
include a provision of a $25-million investment in medical marijuana
research over the next five years into the 2017 budget.

Is Marijuana More Effective for Fibromyalgia Than Drugs?

In the United States, more than five million people suffer from fibromyalgia, but unfortunately, this condition is often misdiagnosed and therefore not treated effectively by prescription drugs.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder accompanied by
widespread pain in muscles and bones that affects the central nervous
system and causes fatigue, mood swings, and sleep difficulties. Some
patients also experience troubles with memory, concentration, and
digestion.

However, those patients who used medical cannabis for
treating the symptoms of fibromyalgia reported that marijuana helped
them manage their chronic pain and improved their overall state.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of large-scale clinical studies, there
is no exhaustive information about the possible advantages and
disadvantages of using oral marijuana for treating fibromyalgia.

Dr. Wale is sure that this disorder has a huge
influence on the patient's life, but current options for treating
fibromyalgia are not always effective. Moreover, using opioids or
other strong medicines for alleviating fibromyalgia pain often
results in serious side effects. In contrast, oral cannabinoids have
the potential to relieve the symptoms of the disease and improve the
patient's life without harming their health.

A Third of U.S. Adults Would Use Medical Marijuana for Pain Management

Medical marijuana is currently legal in 25 states and Washington, D.C. Each state has its own list of qualifying medical conditions that can be treated with the help of medical weed. Weed can help back pain, seizures, nausea, a lack of appetite, etc.

Organ transplant rejection is a serious problem that is of a frequent occurrence in medical practice. While there are various methods to stop the rejection of the transplant by the immune system, they are not applicable in each case.